Long before Ruth’s Diner became an Emigration Canyon destination, it was the dream of a feisty, cigarette-smoking woman with a soft spot for outcasts and a knack for feeding hungry crowds. Nearly a century later, the diner still carries Ruth Evans’ spirit. Combined with her photographs on the wall, it feels as if she’s still watching over every table.

The story begins in 1930, when Ruth Evans opened “Ruth’s Hamburgers” in downtown Salt Lake. Feisty, independent, and unapologetically herself, Ruth quickly became a local character. Her diner sat across from a house of ill repute, where she’d feed the women who worked there and hear their gossip about local officials. When that house, the Meredith Building, faced demolition, Ruth didn’t close shop. Instead, she bought an old Salt Lake trolley car, installed stools and booths, and moved her diner to 1511 W. North Temple.

Her boldest move came in 1949, when she had that same trolley trucked up Emigration Canyon, creating the warm, quirky landmark we know today. Ruth lived in a small apartment below the trolley for nearly 40 years, surrounded by her beloved Chihuahuas and a haze of cigarette smoke, until her passing in 1989 at the age of 94.

Through the 1950s and ‘60s, Ruth’s became a hangout for University of Utah fraternity boys craving hearty food and a bit of mischief. Ruth had her own way of enforcing the rules, sometimes testing the limits of liquor and smoking laws. Her salty humor and fierce independence set the tone for a place that was never just about the food. It was always about family — the sense of being part of something bigger than yourself. 

That spirit continues with the current owners, Erik and Tracy Nelson, both former Ruth’s employees. The two met in culinary school, ran a restaurant in Colorado, then moved to Salt Lake City in the 1980s. Erik took a job in Ruth’s kitchen as the chef, while Tracy served tables. In the ‘90s, they opened Erik’s Creative Dining in Sandy, where they were known for their eclectic and adventurous entrees, including dishes like chicken dijon, honey sesame chicken, and Cajun pork chops. Eventually, due to the demands of life and two small children, the restaurant closed its doors, giving Erik the opportunity to return to Ruth’s (and the then-sister restaurant, The Santa Fe) as head Chef. 

When the diner finally came up for sale in 2007, the Nelsons bought it and have called it home ever since. They’ve invested heavily over the years and spent more than a million dollars for renovation of the kitchen alone, which is now three times the size of the original. They’ve expanded the iconic patio, added live music from local bands which appear daily from Memorial Day throughout Labor Day, and in 2015 they opened Ruth’s Creekside Café and Market.

For General Manager Patrick McIver, Ruth’s isn’t just a workplace, it’s home. He started bussing tables at Ruth’s in high school, was hired to help during the 2002 Olympics, working his way up to GM. 

“Erik and Tracy are like my second set of parents,” he says. “This is the biggest constant in my life. We’re a family.” And while he worried that that may sound cliché, that family bond showed itself during the pandemic, “when the Nelsons did everything they could to protect their staff. Some employees have been with the diner for over 20 years,” McIver said.

In the summer, Ruth’s serves roughly 4,000 people a week, with Sundays being the busiest day, accommodating almost 900 guests in the warmer months. In the winter, Sunday service still draws nearly 400. The menu is as eclectic as it is beloved: the banana walnut French toast combo tops the breakfast charts, while the dinner menu is one of Salt Lake’s best-kept secrets,” according to McIver. 

Ruth’s reputation extends far beyond the canyon. Food Network features on Diner’s Drive-In’s and Dives with Host Guy Fieri, guidebook recommendations, and glowing online reviews continue to pull in visitors. As one fan wrote on Reddit: “Ruth’s Diner up Emigration Canyon is absolutely the best breakfast in Salt Lake. Their biscuits are next level.”

But Ruth’s is more than biscuits and brunch. It’s a living chapter of Utah history, where pioneer trails, sandstone quarries, and community tradition meet. From grainy photographs of Ruth’s cabaret days in the 1910s, to the packed patio of today, the diner’s story is one of resilience, grit, and flavor served up with a side of canyon charm.

Feature Image and other photos courtesy of Trevor Hale.